Shloka 36
पञज्चानामशनं दत्त्वा शेषमश्नन्ति साधव: । न जल्पन्ति च भुज्जाना न निद्रान्त्याद्रपाणय:
pañcānām aśanaṃ dattvā śeṣam aśnanti sādhavaḥ | na jalpanti ca bhuñjānā na nidrānty ārdrapāṇayaḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: “The righteous first offer food to five claimants—deities, ancestors, beings, guests, and their own household—and only then eat what remains. While eating they do not engage in idle talk, and they do not lie down to sleep with wet hands—thus maintaining disciplined, respectful conduct in daily life.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A disciplined householder should practice dharmic priority in eating: first share food with the five—deities, ancestors, living beings, guests, and one’s household—then eat the remainder; and maintain restraint and cleanliness by avoiding chatter while eating and not sleeping with wet hands.
In the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs on righteous conduct (ācāra). Here he describes everyday ethical etiquette around food—offering to rightful recipients before oneself and observing decorum during and after meals.